Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings give Chicago the royal treatment

December 4, 2008, at the Vic Theatre

By Selena Fragassi
Published: December 7th, 2008 | 4:00pm

Upon the two-year anniversary of James Brown’s death, Sharon Jones has proved to many that, when it comes to soul, it isn’t just “a man’s world” anymore. Watching Jones perform with her independently talented band, the Dap-Kings, at Chicago’s Vic Theatre, the multitalented singer and dancer took Brown’s message of “giving people more than what they came for” to heart as her sweaty serenades of soul-funk fusion, head-snapping and quick shuffle, and stomping became something akin to a southern Baptist service that made everyone believers as they gave Jones standing ovations multiple times before, during, and after her set.

Born in Augusta, Georgia, in 1956, it’s only logical that Jones would be influenced by Brown; as a child, she would join her brothers in impromptu covers of his impassioned songs and eccentric dances. After dabbling in church choirs and extensive backup vocal sessions, Jones finally caught the attention of Daptone Records, the home of the Dap-Kings, with whom she has been recording ever since. The symbiotic collaboration has produced three retro-styled albums, Dap-Dippin’ with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Naturally, and 2007’s 100 Days, 100 Nights, that have reintroduced the classic stylings of ’60s and ’70s funk by using analog recording equipment and time-appropriate instruments with extensive single releases on vinyl.

The eight-piece Dap-Kings started the night with a blistering warm-up session that showed the strength of their musicianship. Armed with guitars, bongos, tambourines, trumpet, and saxophone on tunes like “The Stroll” (dedicated to all “working girls”), it was a melting pot mixed with Motown, New York jazz and Chicago blues.

When the time came for Jones’ introduction, the band fueled the excitement with buzz words like “supernova,” “super-bad soul sister,” and a rousing drum roll that left everyone impatient until the cheers exploded as she took the stage shimmying and shaking in a psychedelic shift dress and gravity-defying heels.

Opening with “How Do I Let a Good Man Down” and “Nobody’s Baby,” Jones’ inner cougar came out as she picked fedora- and skinny tie–wearing men from the audience to join her on stage in a rollicking dance-off, some ponying up for a kiss on the cheek before Jones showed them their way back to the floor. “I need another victim,” she said before moving on to create an a la carte female backing group from the crowd, instructed to “be like the Supremes or something,” and later included a drag queen named Victoria in a blue flapper dress that gave Jones a run for her money.

“I gotta mellow out, I’m misty,” she said before taking a much-deserved break and making way for a surprise set by famed Chicagoan Syl Johnson who pumped the crowd with “Anyway the Wind Blows”.

Once Jones returned, the second half was just as impressive, if not better, than the first. High notes included “Gotta Be the Way It Is,” a history lesson that travels through the lineage of Jones’ ancestors from Africa to American Indians with ritualistic dances that took over Jones’ body like a fire was burning to get out of her, proving that she can hold a dance move just as much as a song note.

As the night continued with “Let Them Knock,” and the band’s latest hit, “100 Days, 100 Nights” Jones ended the set with Daptone Records recording artist and James Brown look-a-like Charles Bradley as they gave an inspirational duet of Three Dog Night’s, “A Change is Going to Come,” that literally dropped the duo to the floor for the last note, proving that “It Feels Good” to be a soul queen.

For more photos from this show, visit our Flickr page

Record Shopping with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Review of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings' 100 Days, 100 Nights

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Cam510 (over 2 years)
i seriously love this woman. if my inner black soul diva came out, it would be in the form of Ms. Sharon Jones. I love "Nobody's Baby!"